Didn’t Feel Like A Monday
There are older bands I have not caught in a non-festival setting. These are excellent ones that either they haven’t visited in the time since discovering or I had one of my regular overlaps of music I want to go see in the same night. The Lower Class Brats and Old Firm Casuals are both bands that until recently fit underneath this. A show additionally bringing a Tucson favorite, Thug Riot, and I got introduced to a band I had never heard before, Grade 2.
Opening up are the Tucson brand of hardcore staples, Thug Riot. They are fronted by Kevo and Brick, two guys who tend to alternate lead vocals throughout songs. In that time moving and jumping around wherever there is space on the stage. They always engage with the audience, getting the mic in front of others belting back their lyrics.
The guys behind them are matching in passion. Dicky leans into that microphone as he continues playing guitar. Dooly stylishly applies his bass to the performance with joining backing vocals. I love when I can catch the guys of Thug Riot.
Then we were onto the youngest guys of the night, out of the U.K., with Grade 2. I had not heard of them going into this show. Though from the get go it was clear this three piece band has skills. It was a tight sound with great vocals belting their views and politics into the Yucca Tap Room.
Think they may have been the first British punk band I watched at Yucca since the Business nearly three and a half years ago. I welcome this tour bringing them through. They showed me how awesome Grade 2 is.
Next was a band that I had never seen live, but had heard of prior, the Old Firm Casuals. In addition, it marks the second time I’ve watched Lars Frederiksen play the Yucca Tap Room with one of his other bands.
That’s not to take away how the entire band puts on a show from Casey Watson to Paul back on drums and singing. If you want to talk passion showing through their playing these guys certainly are prime examples of it. They were having fun and cracking jokes between songs too. I was left with a fantastic first impression of the Old Firm Casuals.
Last was a band I was catching for only the second time outside of Punk Rock Bowling, and that was the Lower Class Brats. It was like we had two headliners on this show. These guys continue to impress and entertain me. While I praised Old Firm Casuals for their passion, I think the Lower Class Brats and Bones alone put on the most crowd engaging performances.
The people at the front of the stage changed a little, as a slightly different brand of punk rock. Nevertheless, just as excellent. Watching them close it out has to rank this as one of the best Monday night shows of recent memory. I strive not to miss whenever the Lower Class Brats come to town anymore.
